Episode 03: Jacob Bortnik - Pioneer of space physics
Exploring the secrets of space and the twists and turns of a pioneering career to study them.
Jacob Bortnik is someone who has meant a great deal as a mentor to me in my life, a person who I deeply admire and respect, and someone I just thoroughly enjoy talking with and learning from.
He is a true visionary and thought-leader in the field of space science. He was born in Israel, but spent his childhood beyond the age of 10 in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1998 he moved to the US to attend Stanford, where his illustrious career in space physics began to blossom.
His trajectory has thus cut across continents and disciplines and Jacob now leads one of the premier research groups in space science at UCLA and produces some of the most innovative research at the intersection of physics-based and data-driven methods and influences the very fabric of space physics research.
Show Notes:
Work-Life balance vs. alignment (7:00)
Thought-provoking piece on balance and alignment: https://bit.ly/2SnMPIz
TED talk about the silent man (31:30): John Francis (https://www.ted.com/talks/john_francis_walks_the_earth?language=en)
We talk a lot about being quiet and the various forms and meanings of that. Here’s a link to a TED Radio Hour episode about ‘Quiet’: https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/357846020/quiet
Writers mentioned:
(44:30): CS Lewis (http://www.cslewis.com/us/)
(44:40): Shawn Achor (http://www.shawnachor.com/)
Books mentioned:
(45:04): If you’re so smart then why aren’t you happy? Raj Raghunathan (https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Smart-Why-Arent-Happy/dp/1101980737)
Nutrition Facts website mentioned (46:50): https://nutritionfacts.org/
Contact Jacob:
Jacob’s research group at UCLA: https://dept.atmos.ucla.edu/jbortnik